Nightmares
by mamaXunicorn
Summary: The best part about nightmares is waking up from them.
1. Chapter 1

**_There are three different, unconnected scenarios in this piece taking place all throughout the history of Rose/Ten including some Rose/Human Ten._**

**_ I'm still rather new to the Doctor Who fandom so I really hope I've captured both the Doctor and Rose pretty welll. Feedback is appreciated!_**

* * *

I

* * *

The Doctor was tinkering under the console of the TARDIS, his usual nighttime behavior while his human companion slept.

He suddenly yelped when a small shock jolted through his body.

"Oi!" He sat up and frowned at the humming TARDIS. "I wasn't doing anything bad this time!"

She only continued in a quiet hum but a flickering of lights behind him caught his attention. He slipped his glasses off his face and tucking both the glasses and his screwdriver into his inside pocket, he stood up staring curiously at the corridor.

"What is it? What's the matter?" He asked the TARDIS and all he got in response was another flickering of the lights.

He frowned in confusion and slight concern and ventured down the corridor searching for any sign that something was off. He was just approaching Rose's room when he heard it.

A quiet but distinct whimpering came drifting out of Rose's room and his concern was immediately heightened. He hesitantly approached the doorway and very gently pressed his ear against the door and through the wood listened to her soft cries and whimpers.

Even though he'd had Rose as his companion for over a year now there was still so little he knew about her. More particularly, how to act when she acted out of the norm. He'd never really seen her cry , at least not when they weren't in an extremely tense situation. He wasn't sure if he should leave her alone and go back to working with the TARDIS but she obviously sent him here for a reason.

Clearing his throat softly, he lightly tapped on the door and called through the door, "Rose?" He waited for a few seconds and then knocked again, calling out once more a little louder, "Rose?"

He listened quietly for any response from Rose but the only sound coming from the room was her quiet and constant whimpers.

After going back and forth with himself and with a little encouragement from the TARDIS he finally allowed himself to push open the door. He peered inside and drew his eyes immediately to Rose's bed. Both of his hearts leapt into his throat at the sight before him. Rose's bed sheets were a complete mess on top of her bed and the blonde herself was hidden somewhere inside it. He could see her feet twitching from where they jutted out of the blankets and now that he was in the room with her her whimpers were louder.

"Rose?" He called into the darkness and took a few cautious steps towards her bed. Rose flipped around on the bed and let out another string of heartbreaking whimpers.

He stood by her bedside, his gaze shifting between her and the doorway where he was still trying to decide if he should leave. His concern for her proved to win over as she suddenly gripped onto her blankets tightly and pulled them up to her chest, her face scrunching up as if she were in pain.

He gently lowered himself down to sit on the edge of her bed and hesitantly reached out, brushing his fingertips against her shoulder. "Rose." He tried to coax her.

"No." Rose whimpered, pulling away from his touch so he quickly withdrew his hand, almost expecting a Tyler slap. But Rose was not the least bit conscious of her actions or her words and the same two letter word escaped her lips a couple more times as she rolled around on her bed.

"Rose." He called a little louder, placing his hand back over her shoulder in a more tight grip. Watching her uncertainly he gently shook her until she awoke with a gasp.

He reeled back as she propelled forward, her shoulder's shaking, her eyes wide, and her chest heaving with her heavy breaths. She looked around the room frantically until her eyes settled on the Doctor.

She stared at him silently and he stared back, watching and waiting for what she would do next. Of all the scenario's his Time Lord brain came up with the last thing he expected was for her to cry out his name and throw herself at him.

He nearly fell off the side of the bed with the impact of her body hitting his but he cemented his feet onto the floor and wrapped his arms around her.

He tried very hard to ignore the fluttering in his hearts at the feel of Rose so close; Time Lord's hearts' did _not_ flutter. Though he could not deny the deep concern dwelling in the pit of his stomach at the way Rose clutched at him so tightly and the feel of her tears wetting his suit.

"Rose?" He pressed his lips into her blonde hair but she only continued to shake and whimper in his arms.

He rested his head against hers and tightened his arms around her, letting her know she was safe and welcome in his arms and wondered what in the whole of the universe could have gotten her so shaken up that she completely let herself go.

Her hands grabbed fistfuls of his shirt and held onto him as tight as she possibly could while her face was buried deep in his chest, her quiet whimpers muffled by his suit.

It was a good few minutes before she finally stilled and her whimpering stopped though she still remained in the comfort of his hold. The TARDIS was humming and filled Rose's room with extra warmth reaching out to comfort her newest tenant.

The Doctor hadn't loosened his grip on her at all, afraid that if he did she'd start to cry again and after the events that just conspired the Doctor knew one of the things he hated most in the universe was to see Rose Tyler cry. But she had become so still that he wondered if she had fallen asleep and listening to her steady heartbeat and her now even breathing he almost thought she had.

Then she surprised him again by suddenly pulling out of his arms, taking one look at his tear stained chest and _laughing._

He raised an eyebrow at her curiously. She sniffled and brought her hand to her mouth, muffling the laughter for a moment and then moving to wipe the tear stains off her cheeks.

Then with a sheepish, shy look, one he rarely ever saw on Rose Tyler, she met his eyes. "I'm sorry."

His lips twitched upward and he shook his head. "You have nothing to be sorry about, Rose."

She raised her eyebrows pointedly and motioned to his chest. He glanced down at the wet spot right in the middle of his suit and shrugged. "The TARDIS can fix it." He answered simply. "The more important issue here is..." His face softened to show his concern, "Are you alright?"

Rose's smile dropped and she bowed her head, fixating her gaze on her lap and twiddling her thumbs in front of her.

The Doctor reached out and placed his own hands over hers, encouraging her eyes back to him and once she looked up his deep brown eyes questioned her.

She bit down on her lip and sighed. "Nightmare." She whispered.

"I figured that." He replied with a bit of a cheeky smile but it faded at her pitiful look. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Rose only shook her head quietly while bring her gaze to their conjoined hands resting peacefully on her lap. Then she sighed again and lifted her head with a small nod.

"They were gonna kill you." Her voice shook with emotion and he hated how absolutely lost she sounded.

"Who?"

"I dunno, aliens I suppose, none we've ever seen before I don't think."

One of his hands left hers to cup under her chin and bring her eye back to his and once their eyes were locked he gave her a reassuring smile. "Rose, it'll take a lot more than some random aliens to get rid of me."

She tried to smile in reply but her lips only twitched before it fell and her eyes started to water again. "You looked so hopeless." She murmured. "They had me too, they were taking me away from you and you couldn't escape..." A single tear escaped out of her eye and both his hands moved to cup her face and he wiped the stray tear away with the pad of his thumb.

"I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

She let out a shaky breath and closed her eyes, leaning into the warmth of his touch.

She eventually pulled away from him, pushing herself up against the wall behind her bed and bringing her knees up to her chest. "I'm sorry." She repeated and before he could interject with a protest she continued, "I really am pathetic."

He frowned and focused his serious gaze upon her. "Rose Tyler, nothing you ever do will be pathetic."

She snapped her eyes over to him, studied his serious expression for a moment and then a warm smile spread across her face. She bit her lip and rested her chin against her knees watching him like he was the best thing in the universe, which to her, he was. "Yeah? You think?"

"I know." He corrected with a wink accompanied by a small smirk.

Rose was grateful for the darkness of her room because of the sudden rush of blood to her face but still she hid her face in her knees, grinning to herself. Once she contained herself she popped her head back up though the grin still remained on her face and she spotted the Doctor grinning as well and her grin widened to her famous Rose grin with her tongue poking out of her teeth.

"You're feeling better then?" He prompted taking note of her happy grin.

She nodded and straightened out her legs. "Much better. Thank you."

He smiled at her, briefly placed his hand over hers, gave it a squeeze and went to stand up.

The smile fell from her face as she watched him walk away from the bed. "Doctor!"

He spun around with raised eyebrows and she twisted her blankets in her fists nervously. "Do you think you could stay with me? At least until I fall asleep, I mean. It's just - I'd feel better knowing where you are."

His curious expression softened into one of understanding and adoration and wordlessly he walked back over to her bed. Her smile lit up her face as she approached and she slid over so he'd have room on the bed. He crawled onto the bed next to her on top of the covers, resting back against the wall and stretching his legs out. Once he was settled he captured Rose's hand in his own and gave it a light squeeze as he smiled down at her. "Anything for you, Rose."

She smiled silently in response and slid under the covers trying to concentrate on anything other than the face that the Doctor was so close and hoping to God that he couldn't hear her pounding heart. She settled down onto her pillow, still holding onto the Doctor's hands threaded through hers and closed her eyes.

"Goodnight Rose Tyler." She heard the Doctor whisper as she slowly began to drift off.

She brought their conjoined hands to rest comfortably against her chest, the heat radiating off of his hand comforting her even more. "Goodnight Doctor." She murmured in reply, her head unintentionally ducking causing her lips to brush ever so lightly against his knuckles.

His eyes widened at the contact and even more so at the feeling that rushed through his body because of the contact. Rose Tyler did things to him that he never knew he could feel and most of the time it scared him more than any dalek ever could.

But as he watched her sleep peacefully, her lips curled up in a content smile, he knew there was no where else he'd rather be or no one else he'd rather be with. She was his little pink and yellow human and no matter the cost he'd always protect her. Always.

* * *

II

* * *

_The TARDIS was quiet for once. The Doctor and Martha Jones had just come back from a particularly tiring mission. (Tiring for Martha anyway, Time Lords didn't get tired.) Martha went straight off to bed and instead of tinkering with the console of the TARDIS or various gadgets he'd been meaning to fix the Doctor opted for a rather quieter night in the library, rereading some books. _

_He'd just gotten himself comfortable in one of the chairs, propping his feet up on a near by desk and cracking open a book when there was a loud crash from the console room. _

_He immediately was on his feet, tossing the book onto the desk and peering out into the hallway. "Martha?" He called in the direction of the console, wondering if his companion had wandered out sleepily and accidentally crashed into something. _

_He pursed his lips in thought when he got no response and swiftly made his way out of the library and towards the console room. _

_Upon entering, he squinted and looked around for any sign of his companion and called her name again. "Martha?" _

_He paced around the console, looking for anything out of the ordinary and his eyes widened when his gaze fell upon the cause of the noise. _

_There was a __**person**__lying on the ground of the TARDIS, curled up in a little ball and shaking. _

"_What?" _

_He rubbed his eyes just to make sure he wasn't seeing things and when his vision came to he still saw the person lying there. "Oh bugger, not again." He muttered with a groan, thinking back to meeting Donna Noble in her wedding dress. _

"_How did you even get in here?" He asked the seemingly unconscious person still lying on the floor. He ran his fingers through his hair, letting out a puff of air through his lips and then slowly approached the person, freezing only when she moved. _

_She let out a little moan and the Doctor frowned at the familiarity of her voice. Her arms stretched out in front of her like a cat and she slowly rose to a sitting position and as she did, her blonde hair fell away from her face revealing her identity to the now shocked Doctor. _

"_No." He whispered, his eyes wide as saucers. _

_The female grinned as soon as her eyes set on him and she leapt to her feet. "Doctor!" _

_He shook his head, his face clearly showing his disbelief. "No, no you can't be here, its not-it can't be..." _

"_Doctor," She took a step forwards and he eyed her just a bit warily but still she kept on grinning, "It's me, it's Rose." _

"_Rose." He repeated, a shiver running through him as the name passed his lips. "How did you...?" _

"_I told you I'm working for Torchwood in that parallel world. I've been working hard trying to get back to you, and we found a way but I didn't think it would work but I had to try. It worked though," Her grin brightened as her eyes scanned the interior of the TARDIS, "I'm here. I'm really here." _

"_But-but.." He stuttered, confused and he ran over to the TARDIS console, clicking buttons and furrowing his brow. "I don't understand, it shouldn't be possible, both universes should be collapsing." His eyes scanned the monitors looking for any signs of damage to the universe and at finding none, turned back to Rose with wide eyes who was simply smiling at him. _

"_How?" _

_Rose shrugged. "Does it really matter?" _

"_Of course it matters! It shouldn't be possible!" He turned back to the console and started flicking more buttons. _

"_Doctor..." Rose's voice was softer now and he paused, slowly turning to look at her. She was still smiling, but lighter now, and her eyes were shining with unshed tears. _

_That's when it hit him. Rose was here. __**Rose was here.**_

_Forgetting about impossibilities, a grin, larger than anyone before it, spread across his face. He dropped his hands from the console, took one step towards her as she took one step towards him. Her smile widened into a grin and her eyes twinkled under the lights of the TARDIS. _

_Without one more second to lose, the Doctor jumped into a sprint, walking dangerously fast in the condensed space of the TARDIS and gathered Rose tightly into his arms. He buried his face into her neck, inhaling her scent and grinning madly. He rocked her back and forth, practically crushing her against his chest though she hardly seemed to mind since she was hugging him just as tightly. He only pulled back to look deep into her tear filled eyes and then with just a whisper of her name, he slammed his lips down onto hers. Rose squeaked a little against his lips but quickly responded, tightening her hold around his neck and kissing him back with just as much passion. _

_Her fingers tangled in his hair as the kiss continued, hot and heavy and full of all the passion and love they held for each other and didn't get to express in the horrible months they spent apart. _

_They kissed until they could no longer breathe. Rose, because of her human lungs, and the Doctor, well simply kissing Rose managed to take even his breath away. _

_Their foreheads came to rest against each others for they could not bear being apart from each other even with their arms still tightly wound around the other. _

_He brushed his lips up against hers lightly a couple more time as she tried to catch her breath, he simply just could not get enough of Rose Tyler. _

_Finally they managed to pull away from each other, not all the way of course, his arms still remained around her waist and hers loosely hung around his neck, and they smiled at each other both of their eyes brimming with happy tears. "You're here." He whispered, beaming. "You're really here." _

"_I am." She answered with a grin. _

_He let out a breath, shaking his head fondly. "My Rose, you always manage to do the impossible." _

_Rose bit her lip, cocking her head to the side, her eyes twinkling in delight and bemusement. "I'm your Rose now, am I?" _

_He pursed his lips. "Welll, my Rose as in my companion Rose, well, my __**old **__companion and when I say old, I don't mean __**old**__ old, you of course are always welcome with me. And when I say mine, you don't have to be __**mine**__you can be __**a **__companion..." _

_She suddenly cut him off by covering his lips with hers. He barely had time to react before she pulled away, biting her lip, smirking at how he stood there just blinking at her. _

"_Doctor, I have been __**yours**__since the first time you took my hand and told me to run." She supplied, staring lovingly into his deep brown eyes. _

_A goofy grin spread across his face and he let out a little love struck laugh. "Yeah?" _

"_Of course." _

_The Doctor's grin faded into a more serious look as he raised his eyebrow, staring intensely into her eyes. "Then you should know Rose Tyler, I've been __**yours**__for that long as well." _

_The first emotion to pass Rose's face was surprise but it was quickly replaced by joy and love. She grinned happily, tightening her grip around his neck and squealing out of glee, buried her face into his neck. "I love you." Her warm breath tickled the skin of his neck and for once he allowed himself to feel what he always denied when in the presence of Rose. _

"_Quite right too." He answered back, echoing his words from that terrible day on Bad Wolf Bay. He felt Rose tense in his arms and to squash her sullen thoughts and memories he tightened his arms around her and buried his nose into her hair. _

_He closed his eyes, inhaling the scent of her shampoo, gently pressed his lips against the top of her head and then lowered his lips down to her ear. Whispering softly he finally replied, "I love you, Rose Tyler." _

_A small gasp passed her lips and she whipped her head up so fast she nearly clocked him one. The grin on her face was so bright yet he could detect the slightest bit of question in her eyes. He'd said the words they both wanted to hear, he just needed to back them up. A million different thoughts ran through his head on how exactly to prove his love to Rose but that proved unnecessary as after just a few seconds of staring into his love glazed eyes, Rose seemed to just know and her grin brightened ( which he didn't think was possible) and grabbed him in for another kiss. _

_Another thing he didn't think was possible, that he was yet again proved wrong about, was that he didn't think the kiss they shared just minutes before could possible be more passionate. Like he said, he was wrong. The force, the power and the love behind the kiss they shared now almost literally stopped his two hearts. It felt like he couldn't breathe or move for a very brief split second, the instant his lips collided with hers, then his hearts started pounding wildly in his chest. _

_He couldn't help but grin against her mouth, he was happy, hell he was more than happy, he was ecstatic. He had his Rose back in his arms, he was finally able to admit his feelings for her not only to himself but to her as well. Everything was out in the open and as it should be. _

_Suddenly the doors of the TARDIS slammed open with a loud crack. The couple jumped apart, panting heavily from their kiss, and stared wide eyed at the bright light emitting from outside the TARDIS. _

"_What?" The Doctor cried, furrowing his brow, and letting go of Rose, made his way over to the console. He shook his head back and forth furiously as he tried to figure out what was happening. _

"_Doctor?" Rose called out to him in question. _

_He lifted his head and met her eyes across the way, knowing the uncertainty and fear in her eyes was reflected in his own. A determined look crossed his face, he would __**not**__let Rose down, not again. Hardening his gaze, he poured all his concentration onto finding the solution for whatever the problem was. _

"_Doctor!" He snapped up his head at the sound of Rose's alarmed voice. She was now pressed up against the console, staring at the bright light that was slowly filtering in through the open doorway. _

_He gritted his teeth and practically growled at the unknown threat entering his TARDIS and frightening his Rose, and stalked over to it. He reached out his hands toward it but once his finger tips reached the exterior, he had to withdraw his hand immediately from the burning sensation with a hiss. _

"_What is it?" Rose asked, still pressed up against the console. _

"_I don't know." He growled, narrowing his eyes at it. He quickly spun on his heels and ran back over to her, grabbing her hand and pulling her to the other side of the console. "Don't move." He instructed and for once she obeyed with only a silent nod. _

_He started moving all around the console, pressing different buttons, observing the readings on the monitors and shaking his head, trying to make sense of it. _

"_Doctor..." _

"_Don't worry, Rose. I'll figure this out." _

"_Doctor!" Rose's voice was a little more panicked and it instantly caught his attention. He looked over to her and saw her staring, horrified down at the floor. His brow furrowed and looked down at his own feet and out of the corner of his eye he saw the light, like a cloud of smoke, passing him around the console. His eyes widened and he followed it to where it made a puddle around Rose's feet. _

_At once they locked eyes and for a long moment they both stood there, panic and dread seizing their hearts. Then with another growl the Doctor reached forward and wrapped his arms tightly around Rose's middle trying to pull her away from the light now climbing up her legs. _

_Whatever it was was stubborn and pulled Rose in the opposite direction. His grip on her tightened and try as he may he proved to not be strong enough and the light pulled him skidding across the TARDIS floor. _

_They got to the other side of the console, nearing the front doors when the light made its way in between the Doctor and Rose, pulling them apart and sending the Doctor flying to the ground. _

"_Doctor!" Rose's helpless cry reached his ears and he was immediately on his feet, his eyes wide with panic, his chest heaving sharply as he saw Rose being devoured by the light. _

"_No!" He cried and leaped forward grabbing onto her hand that was reaching out for him. "Rose!" _

_He gripped onto her hand with both of his, squeezing with all his might, and tried to pull her away from the light. But with every passing second he could feel her hand slipping out of his and he could do nothing about it. _

"_Rose, hold on!" He let go with one hand only to grab onto her wrist. He planted his feet firmly onto the ground and locked his eyes with hers. She was frightened, she was lost, and by God he was not about to lose her again. _

_Every muscle in his body strained as he fought against this thing but he could not give up. _

_He felt Rose's other hand grab onto his own wrist and she tried to use it to climb back to him. Slowly but surely they pulled Rose from the light and back into the TARDIS, both of them shaking from the effort. _

_However just as Rose's torso made it out, the Doctor lost his footing and in the split second that it took for him to re-find it, Rose slipped back in with a scream. _

"_No!" He cried as he began to be pulled towards the light. He could hear her muffled cries of his name and his hands shook as he tried to pull on her hand that little by little was slipping out of his grasp. _

_Then with a strangled cry, the Doctor felt the force of the light suck her in, and her hand slipped out of his and disappeared into the light. The light remained for a second or two more before disappearing, slamming the TARDIS' doors closed in its leave. _

_The Doctor was left standing there, panting, his arms still outstretched, his eyes wide with panic and fear. "No." He whispered and without even realizing it ran forward and slammed into the TARDIS' doors. "Rose!" He slammed on the wood and then roughly grabbed the handles and pulled the doors open only to be met with the black and darkness of space. "No. No!" He slammed the doors closed, and reopened them, repeating the process hoping this was all some sort of sick joke and Rose would be waiting outside on the streets of London outside the Powell Estate, with a grin and her tongue between her teeth. _

_He slammed the doors closed one final time and whimpered, smacking his head down hard against the doors. _

_He barely had time to mourn though because suddenly the TARDIS started to shake and her lights started flickering. He spun around to face the console and watched in horror as his TARDIS went on the fritz. _

_He sprinted over to the console and tried everything, every combination he knew how, yet nothing seemed to be working. "No! No, no, no, no, no, no!" He cried over and over again as he fiddled and pressed and sonic'ed, _

_The TARDIS suddenly gave a violent lurch and the Doctor was sent flying forward into the console. He groaned and slammed his fist down onto it. "What the bloody hell is going on?" _

_He yelped when one part of the console suddenly let out a bunch of sparks and the lights started to flicker more rapidly. He ran over to that side of the console, pushing the smoke away from his face with his hand and stared down at his beloved time machine in hopeless confusion. _

_He ran his fingers through his hair and gripped at it, his nails digging into his scalp. He kicked the air in frustration and anger. _

_Another area of the console sparked furiously and just as he was about to run over there the TARDIS lurched again and sent him flying forward. He closed his eyes preparing himself for impact with the ground..._

A rush of air filled his lungs as he sprang forward and his eyes opened. He was breathing heavily and his hearts were beating faster than he ever remembered them. Looking around he found himself not in the frenzied console room of the TARDIS but a dark, quiet room somewhere else on his ship.

He gently sunk back down onto the bed, trying to calm himself down. Though once he pulled the pink blanket up to his chin he sprang up again, realizing exactly where he was.

He propped himself up on his knees and looked around Rose Tyler's old room. The thought made his hearts clench painfully and quite uncharacteristically of him, he pulled Rose's pillow up to his chest and buried his face in it.

He breathed in the faint scent that still loomed on her pillow. His throat tightened and he held back a sob that threatened to escape him at the combined memories of losing her at Canary Wharf and the more recent, much more vivid memories of his nightmare.

He had tried to forget, it hurt too much to think about leaving Rose in that parallel world, seeing the tears streaking down her face and even though he was a whole universe away, hearing her heart shattering sobs echoing in his ears.

No matter how hard he tried though there was always something that reminded him of his Rose. A certain race of aliens that he longed to tell her all about, a certain planet he longed to show her and more often than not he'd turn to Martha Jones, expecting to see Rose's bright golden hair and hear her witty response to something he'd said and managed to hide his slight disappointment at seeing Martha. He knew that wasn't fair because he liked Martha Jones, he only travelled with the best after all, but the pain of losing Rose was still so fresh in his mind, and no one, no matter how brilliant they were, could ever replace the place Rose held in his hearts.

He didn't even remember how he'd gotten into Rose's room to be honest. He usually avoided it, asked the TARDIS to hide it from him, because the first time he'd been in there since she left, shortly after he saved Donna Noble, he curled up on her bed like he was doing now and _cried_. He promised himself he would not let it affect him so badly but after working with Donna and seeing how different she was from Rose, made him miss her even more, and by the time he reached the empty, quiet TARDIS with no sign of Rose there to come out and hug him, the loss of her really hit him. He wasn't aware up until that point how much Rose really meant to him.

He always knew Rose was more than just another companion, his ninth regeneration came back for her, even after just meeting her he knew he'd be lost without her. His ninth regeneration is what started falling in love with her, although he'd never admit it, and so his tenth regeneration was automatically attracted to her from his beginning and he only fell for her harder and stronger with each passing day. Still, he refused to admit to himself that he was in love with her, because a Time Lord falling in love with a human was highly unlikely, and he knew that one day he'd be losing her. He figured if he didn't get too attached to her the pain would be less when she was gone. However when he actually did lose her nothing could lessen the pain he felt. Whether he admitted it to himself or not he was in love with Rose Tyler and losing her was almost as painful as his memories of the Time War and Gallifrey.

Just then there was a quiet knock on the door, followed then by an even quieter, "Doctor?"

He snapped his head up and looked at the door silently. With a sigh, he placed the pillow neatly back in its spot and crawled to the edge of the bed.

He went to run his hands over his face and as he did he found his cheeks to be soaked with tears. He quickly wiped all the wetness from his face and eyes, pulling up the collar on his coat to hide the tear stains on his neck.

Shaking his head and letting out a breath he rose from the bed and slowly approached the door. He paused, just staring at the doorknob for a few seconds, giving him a little time to compose himself, and then he pulled the door open.

"Martha Jones," He greeted with an exceptionally fake grin, "What are you doing awake at this hour?"

Martha's brow was furrowed in concern and a frown marred her features. "Doctor, you...you were screaming."

His smile faltered and he swallowed over the thickness in his throat. "Was I?" He shrugged non chalantly, forcing the smile back onto his face. "Then I apologize for waking you, why don't you head on back to bed, Martha? We've got a brand new day of adventures to look forward to tomorrow!" He grinned, though it scarcely reached his eyes, and looked hardly believable. He shut the door behind him as he walked out past Martha and headed back towards the console room.

"Doctor?" Martha called out to him and he froze, his whole body tensing, knowing what she was going to ask. "Are you alright?"

He stared at the ground for the longest time in silence, then he smiled sadly to himself and forced a look over his shoulder, smiling reassuringly at his companion. "I'm fine."

She looked skeptical but he knew she could tell he didn't want to talk about it which he was grateful for. He gave her a simple nod and bid her a good night before walking slowly towards the console room.

He paused in the doorway and surveyed the quiet, calm area. He took a long look at the doors where just a few minutes ago, in his nightmare, his Rose was taken from him. It was just a nightmare though, his Rose was taken him from long ago back at Canary Wharf.

He slowly approached the console and placed his hands gently across it, feeling her buzz and hearing her hum all around him. He closed his eyes tightly and bowed his head resting it lightly against her. "Why did you let me fall asleep?" He asked, his voice shaking. "And in her room?"

The TARDIS continued to hum around him and as a single tear rolled down his cheek, he knew, despite what he told Martha Jones, that he was anything but fine.

* * *

III

* * *

Rose awoke with a start, her chest heaving up and down heavily as she came out of her nightmare. She squinted her eyes trying to make out the familiar surroundings of her bedroom and as she scanned the room her eyes ell on the still figure beside her.

Her heart leapt and quickly reached out to shake his shoulder. "Doctor." She called in quiet air frantically. "Doctor!"

A muffled noise escaped the lips of the sleeping man and she scooted an inch closer to him, digging her nails into his arm gently and shaking him again. "Doctor!"

His eyes slowly fluttered open and looking over his shoulder he gave her a sleepy glare. "Rose Tyler," His voice was scratchy with sleep. "Are you trying to kill me?"

Relief flooded through her at the sound of his voice and then she pouted sheepishly, cuddling up to him further. "Making sure you're alive actually."

He was instantly more awake and raising his eyebrows, he flipped over to face her, propping himself up on his elbows. "And why wouldn't I be alive?"

"I dunno." She shrugged helplessly. "You said yourself there's never been anything like you before. You could suddenly keel over or something."

"Suddenly keel over or something?" He chuckled, smiling at her fondly. "Did you by chance have a nightmare about such things?"

"Maybe." She muttered.

He reached over to brush a strand of her blonde hair behind her ears and then rested his hand on the side of her face affectionately. "I'm perfectly healthy, Rose. There's nothing to worry about."

"You don't know that."

His brow furrowed and he pretended to look offended. "Of course I know it! I'm the Doctor! I know everything!" He grinned.

His grin faltered though at the sad skepticism on her face. Using the hand that was rested on her face he drew her in for a sweet kiss. Rose grabbed onto his arm and held onto him tightly as she melted slightly into his kiss.

Once the kiss broke, Rose lowered her head to rest comfortably on his chest and he sunk back down onto the bed, slipping one arm protectively around her.

"I just can't lose you again." She whispered against his chest.

He pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head. "I'm not going anywhere Rose. I'm afraid you're stuck with me until we both die of old age." He teased lightly.

"You're over 900 years old." She answered back and he could feel her smirk.

"Well really if you want to get technical, I'm only six months old."

Rose lifted her head and gazed at him in bemusement as he grinned back at her. He tapped her nose playfully and her face scrunched up in response. "You're a naughty one Miss Tyler, robbing the cradle like so."

"Oi!" She sat up and poked him in the chest. "I'm not the 900 year old alien who fell in love with a human girl."

"And I'm not a little human girl who fell in love with a 900 year old alien luring said alien in with her beauty and over all fantastic nature." He shot back.

Rose bit her lip, holding back the grin threatening to spread across her face and a small giggle passed her lips. The Doctor lifted his left eyebrow in question. "What's so funny?"

"I'm picturing you as a little human girl." She replied, sticking out her tongue.

His next question caused her to let out a rather unattractive loud laugh. "Am I a pretty little human girl?"

She grinned, leaning over to ruffle his already mussed up hair. "You're very beautiful."

"As I always am." He grinned cheekily, throwing a wink at her.

Rose rolled her eyes and then, unable to resist the goofy grin on his face, flattened her palms against his chest and leaned down to capture his lips with hers. His arm travelled upwards so his hand rested on the back of her neck and tangling his fingers in her hair he pulled her deeper into the kiss.

Rose smiled allowing herself to completely get lost in the Doctor and the feel of his lips moving in perfect time with hers.

When he first arrived it took a little bit longer than either of them would have liked for her to adjust to the weirdness and eccentricity of the situation. He looked, sounded, and acted like _the_ Doctor but she knew the real Doctor was still out there in the real universe, alone. But this Doctor was understanding and patient and waited until she was ready for him. Rose was surprised how quickly she fell for this doctor. He was everything the old doctor was and more and _human_. Part human anyway. He always reminded her how Time Lord he was. If not with words than by his actions, though the Tyler women (that being herself and her mom of course) mellowed out his ego somewhat.

And ever since the day that Rose finally admitted her love for him and only him, the two had been nearly inseparable. Rose loved kissing the life out of him and he didn't seem to complain, in fact he'd return it with just as much fervor so they ended up kissing the life out of each other.

If you had talked to Rose a year ago she would have told you she would do anything to get out of that parallel world. Now nothing and no one could get her to leave. She was with _her_ Doctor and that is all she could ever hope for.

Their kiss broke eventually but they still remained close, their foreheads nearly touching and their breaths intermingling in the small gap between their mouths. The Doctor ran his fingers gently through her slightly wavy hair and her eyes fluttered open where she met his content but sleepy gaze.

She smiled warmly, pecked his lips quickly and then settled her head back down on his chest, humming in contentment as he continued to stroke his fingers through her hair.

She closed her eyes and listened to the sound of his single heart beating, a little bit faster than usual because of their kiss, and drew comfort from it. She found herself growing a little bit sleepy as his gentle motions, his slowing heart rate, and his deep even breathing continued.

His hand stilled on the back of her neck after a few minutes, his heart rate was normal again and she felt his breath ghosting across the top of her head.

"I love you." She whispered into the material of his pajamas even though she was sure he was asleep.

It surprised her when his arm tightened around her and his nose gently nuzzled her hair. "I love you too." He whispered back.

She smiled and cuddled into his chest. Her nightmare was long forgotten as she relished in the warmth and comfort of the man she loved.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: I had no plans to continue this but I was suddenly inspired so here we are. Its dedicated to a good friend who had the idea that I molded into a story.**_

* * *

_IV_

* * *

Rose wasn't sure what kept her awake that night. She was tired when she went to bed and as close as she came to falling asleep, something kept nudging her awake.

After a few hours of tossing and turning and groaning helplessly into her pillow she decided to get up and find the Doctor.

Perhaps if she had been more awake she might have noticed that the TARDIS was more quiet than usual.

Instead she just wandered sleepily through the dimmed hallways, occasionally stifling a yawn.

The first place she checked was the TARDIS console room. More often than not the Doctor was found inside doing something he insisted was "fixing" her but usually ended up making the time machine fritz out the next day.

That was when she finally began to notice that something was off. The room, whether the Doctor was in it or not, was always bright and lively filled with the soft hum of the TARDIS herself.

Now the room was dim, the only light coming from the console itself, casting a eery blue glow on the walls and floor. Even the hum was low and Rose thought it sounded almost sad.

She frowned and backed out of the room, heading to the next likely place he'd be.

She found her way through the winding hallways with ease until she reached the library.

She often found him inside, reading whatever peaked his interest for the night and no matter what it was, whether she understood it or not, she loved to curl up next to him and listen to him read aloud.

She knew he didn't mind speaking for hours at a time and more often than not she would fall asleep to the sound of his voice, her head on his lap, or on his shoulder.

She was a little dismayed to find the room just as empty and dark as the console room. There were a few books piled up and thrown haphazardly on the table next to one of the couches but they could have been there for days or weeks and gave no indication if he had been there that night.

Pushing back the rising feeling of worry, Rose continued to wander around the TARDIS. If there was one thing she knew about the Doctor it was that once he got it in his head to do something he was going to do it and with the amount of random thoughts that ran through his head on a daily basis he could have been doing anything in any room on his expansive ship.

Though a little uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach was telling her otherwise.

She checked the kitchen, the observatory, the wardrobe, and even the swimming pool - there was still no sign of him.

One last thought occurred to her and that was that he had landed somewhere and ventured out. It was not something he did very often because he didn't like to be alone on his travels but if he got bored enough he'd pop out for a quick stroll somewhere while she slept.

Then she remembered that though the TARDIS was quieter than usual the time rotors were still moving when she went in the console room. They were still drifting which meant he was still on board...and now she was beginning to worry.

After taking a moment to think she finally realized she had one last room to check.

His bedroom.

She knew he didn't use it very often and she had only been to see it once or twice.

She knew he kept it in a separate wing from hers and from her current location she couldn't quite remember where it was. She debated on which way to turn when a low sound broke through the silence - a sound that made her stomach drop.

It was faint but unmistakable and she immediately ran in the direction of the source.

Her heart pounding in her chest, she found herself running through the winding hallways with no idea truly of where she was going.

And then she heard it again - louder this time.

She was once again moving in the direction of the sound and it kept growing louder, leading her to the room she was looking for.

"Doctor?" She called out in worry as she stood outside his door and heard nothing but his pained cries emitting from the other side.

Without another thought she tried the door only to find it locked and she frowned heavily. "Doctor!" She called out, louder this time and then knocked on the door.

Again there was no lively response from the Time Lord and Rose began to panic. He didn't think he'd be one to lock his door - after all the only one on the TARDIS was her and she couldn't imagine he'd want to keep her out.

Not to mention the sounds that were coming from him - he sounded in pain, or terrified, or both and it terrified her that she didn't know why.

"Doctor!" She cried again, her voice squeaking in her panic and pressed herself up against the door as if that would help her get to him.

Then a thought occurred to her. The TARDIS was acting strange, her lights dimmed, the unusual silence...the ship sensed her Doctor's pain and was trying to protect him.

Gently she started to caress the door and closed her eyes, speaking quietly, pleadingly to the sentient ship. "Please...let me in. I can help him, please..."

She kept on stroking the door as her other hand found the door knob, waiting. Then after a few more dreadful seconds, Rose felt the doorknob click underneath her hand and heaved a momentary sigh of relief.

She silently thanked the ship before she was back to worrying about the Doctor and pushed the door open.

The room was pitch black except for the light that flooded in through the now open door and casted a spotlight onto the bed.

Rose's heart leapt into her throat at the sight in front of her.

The Doctor was curled up on his bed, his knees pressed to his chest, his arms came up to rest over his head as if trying to block out the sound, his body quivered violently and he was muttering something in a language she didn't understand accompanied by the occasional cry of pain.

For a moment Rose wasn't sure what to do. She had never seen him like that before. She had seen him dark and lost when they were in Van Statten's museum and he first encountered that dalek. She had seen him unconscious and helpless right after he regenerated but this was different. He wasn't sick, or shaken, he was in pain.

Then her desire to help him overcame her momentary panic and she rushed to his bedside.

Once there she hesitated again, unsure of what he'd do if she were to suddenly wake him.

Slowly, she reached out and placed a gentle hand on his shaking shoulder, calling out to him softly.

At her touch, he instantly stilled - his body stopped shaking and his muttering stopped.

Rose held her breath waiting to see what he'd do. His actions were unpredictable when he was awake she couldn't imagine what he'd do asleep.

A gasp rose in her throat as his eyes suddenly snapped open and he propelled himself up, twisting his body to face her and grabbing a hold of her upper arms, his dark brown eyes flaring with a fear and rage she had never seen directed at her.

Her own eyes were wide as she stared back silently back at him, her hands hovering hesitantly over his.

His shoulders heaved up and down with his chest and then little by little, his expression began to change as he realized who he was looking at.

The rage melted away and his grip loosened on her as he looked over her face. "R-Rose?" His voice was low and weak.

She offered him a small but genuine and comforting smile, her hands finally coming to rest over his and gripping them gently. "Yeah, Doctor it's me."

She slipped her fingers in the spaces between his, curling her pinky under his hand and began to gently caress his palms.

He was looking at her like he almost couldn't believe she was there and his hands slowly moved up her arms and then gave a gentle squeeze.

"Rose." He breathed in such a sweet relief it made her heart skip a beat and then he was pulling her toward him and crushing her against his chest, his arms winding around her and holding onto her like a lifeline.

It only took a second for her to get over her shock and then she slid her arms around him and held him just as tightly. His hair tickled her neck as he buried his face in her shoulder and his fingers gripped the back of her nightshirt.

Rose held him tighter at his actions. She couldn't remember the last time he had hugged her like this, she couldn't remember a time he seemed this upset and it caused an aching in her heart.

"It's alright." She whispered soothingly against his ear. "You're alright...it was just a nightmare..."

At her words, his body tensed up again and a second later his grip loosened on her and he was pulling away from her.

She looked at him in concern but he was staring distantly over her shoulder. "No." He whispered, his voice dead and his eyes darkened with a pain she had never seen. "It wasn't." He swallowed thickly, trying to push back any emotion that was building.

Her brow furrowed in questioning concern and she rubbed his shoulder comfortingly. "What do you mean?"

"It was a memory." Finally that emotion he was trying to hold back slipped into his voice in a crack and she frowned heavily.

The thought of any memory plaguing him that much...

Her heart sunk into her stomach as she finally realized what memory could make him react like that and she stepped in closer to him, her hand continuing to rub his shoulder. "Do you...want to talk about it?"

He grimaced and gave the slightest shake of his head and she nodded, biting her lip softly.

She played with the edges of his collar for a few moments of silence and then asked hesitantly, "Do you want to be alone?"

The last thing she wanted to do was leave him alone but she knew when it came to the Time War he became very closed off and preferred to be by himself.

His eyes finally flickered over and locked onto hers and if they weren't so close she might have missed the ever so slight softening of his gaze as he shook his head again.

Her lips twitched slightly upward and she looked down to his bed. She gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze and then released it and crawled up onto his bed, resting back against the headboard.

She held her arms out for him and beckoned him to her with a soft, "Come here."

To her surprise he didn't even hesitate in moving to her side and she instantly intwined her arm through his, guiding him to rest against her.

Silently, he rested his head on her shoulder and she moved her free hand to his head and started to run her fingers through his hair. Almost instantly there was slight release of tension in his body and he let out a long, slow breath, his head instinctively curling towards the source of comfort.

Rose wished she could do more for him. Even with her comforting he was still so obviously suffering and she hated to see him like this.

She knew the guilt was something that ate at him every day and their travels were a mere distraction. Most days he was all smiles and laughter, allowing himself to enjoy her company but there were times when she'd catch him at a low. Where he'd stare off distantly, his face cold and sad, eyes full of pain and before she had the chance to ask him about it he'd snap back into the happy Doctor.

She longed to reach out and comfort him every time she caught him like that but he always insisted he was fine. It was a rare moment when he would let his facade down enough to talk to her and let her comfort him.

It was so rare that she was always caught off guard when it happened and felt at a loss for what to do. Her first instinct was to hold him and never let him go, letting him know that she was there and she always would be but she often wondered if that was enough.

He was significantly calmer than he had been before as he sat beside her but still far too quiet. If there was one thing this Doctor knew how to do it was talk and to hear him not making a sound was unsettling.

They could have been sitting there for hours, time seemed to be lost among them.

Then finally, the Doctor spoke, his voice low and devoid of any emotion. "2.47 billion."

Rose was torn from her own thoughts at the sound of his voice and she frowned. "What?" She asked cautiously, unsure of what the number meant.

"That's how many there were." He continued on, his tone the same and she felt his body tense again and she gripped onto him tighter, looking down at him in concern.

"Children." He whispered thickly. "2.47 billion children...screaming, crying, begging for someone to save them..." His eyes closed and he started to quiver. "I can hear them, Rose...every one of them..." His voice broke with a quiet sob and Rose could feel her heart shattering.

Not for what he'd done but because of how it made him feel, because of the amount of pain he was in. She couldn't even imagine what he went through and it broke her heart to know how tortured he was.

"They're all gone...because of me..."

"Doctor..." Her voice was soft but confident as she unwound their arms and instead reached to grab his hands in both of hers and squeezed tightly, ducking her neck to look at his face. "You did what you had to."

He scoffed bitterly, his face scrunching up in disgust. "I thought if I said that to myself long enough I'd begin to believe it but all those people...my people...their blood is on my hands."

Rose swallowed thickly, glancing down at their conjoined hands and tangled their fingers together before looking back up at him. "I don't know what happened...and I know you don't want to talk about it...but from where I'm standing...these hands..." She shifted her position so she was now kneeling beside him and lifted their hands and rested them over her chest and looked into his eyes. "They've done more good then they ever could do bad."

He stared at her for a long moment and then sighed as he looked down, shaking his head. "Rose..."

"No, listen to me..." She cut him off, bringing his attention back to her, his brow twitching slightly. "You had to make a decision...a very hard decision and I'm sorry..." With one hand she reached out to touch the side of his face, cupping his cheek and running her thumb gently over the circles under his eyes. "I'm so sorry that you have to suffer because of it." She shook her head slowly. "What you've done, Doctor...it does not define who you are. You are out there, every day, saving countless lives and planets because that's who you are. You're the Doctor...you heal...you don't destroy."

The corners of his lips twitched up in a small, sad smile and his hand came up to rest over hers and he leaned into her touch. "Dear Rose...you are far too kind. What you've seen of me...it is merely a fraction...all that I've done, you don't know..."

"I don't care." She cut him off again. "I don't care what you've done. I care what you're doing."

"You wouldn't say that if you knew-"

She quickly moved her other hand to the other side of his face, forcing him to look her in the eyes. "There is nothing you could say to me that would make me think any less of you."

He stared back at her, his doubt written in those sad eyes and she gave him a small but convincing smile before leaning in to rest her forehead against his and she could hear his breath hitch. "Doctor...I mean it. Nothing." She whispered vehemently. "You're a good man...the best man I've ever known and I think the universe is lucky to have you."

He was silent for a good minute or so - the room filled with nothing but the sound of their breathing.

Then he slowly pulled away from her, her hands dropping to rest between them, and met her eyes. His expression was unreadable for a moment and then to her relief, a smile pulled at his lips, the pain in his eyes still evident but fading to the warmth she was more accustomed to seeing.

She let out a breath as he lifted his hand, brushing a strand of hair away from her face and the back of his hand brushed ever so gently against her cheek. "Rose Tyler..." Her heart stuttered at the pure affection in his voice. "What would I be without you?"

"Oh..."She breathed, a smile crossing her lips as a blush rose to her cheeks. "You'd be just fine without me..."

His hand cupped her cheek and he looked seriously into her eyes. "No, I wouldn't. I...I was so broken when we met. You saved me, Rose and you continue to do so every day. You are, quite honestly, the best thing that could have happened to me."

Rose stared at him, her eyes wide and heart pounding. It was the most he had ever opened up to her about his regard for her and she couldn't quite believe it was happening. She knew he cared for her but she never realized she meant that much to him. She had hoped, certainly, but she never imagined that she could mean so much to such a wonderful man.

Her breath caught in her chest as he suddenly leaned in and pressed his lips tenderly against her forehead. Her eyes fluttered closed as he lingered there and she reveled in the feeling. He had done this before, pressed a quick kiss to her forehead when she did something clever but this was different. This was a tender kiss in a tender moment...and he was lingering. He never lingered and his hand still gently caressing her cheek only made it that much more tender.

Her breath finally released slowly as he pulled back and when her eyes opened, her heart leapt at how close he was, how his eyes burned into hers with such a warm adoration, the smile on his lips just beginning to pull at the corners of his eyes.

"Thank you."

"For what?" She whispered.

His smile widened. "For being brilliant ol' you."

Her cheeks burned and a bright smile crossed her lips. "You're welcome." She murmured.

He continued to smile at her and she even noticed the pain in his eyes slipping further away and to know she was the cause of that joy in him was the most wonderful feeling.

"Now," He cleared his throat after a moment, finally pulling away from her as if he had just realized how close they were, "It must still be late for you, hm? Why don't you head back to bed?"

Rose frowned. "I'm not tired." She insisted and he raised his brow knowingly.

"Rose."

She sighed. She sometimes hated how he could see right through her.

"I'm fine, really. Besides.." She lifted her shoulders, "I...I don't want to leave you alone."

Once again there was a flash of pain in his eyes before they softened and he gave her a rather unconvincing smile. "I'll be alright, Rose. You need to sleep."

"I'm not leaving you." She told him forcefully. Despite the fact that he was trying to hide it he was still suffering and the thought of leaving him alone to his thoughts, to let him drift back into that state while she went off and slept...no, she refused.

He stared back at her, brow raised and when she didn't relent, he nodded. "Alright - you sleep here then."

She blinked and then her eyes widened slightly as he moved over, allowing her some room beside him.

"What...sleep in your bed?"

He nodded, a cute little smile forming on his lips as he pulled the covers down and then patted the empty space beside him.

She took a few more seconds just to see if he actually meant it and at his awaiting eyes, she smiled and crawled beside him.

His sheets were TARDIS blue and made of the same material hers were yet somehow they felt infinitely more comfortable.

She ran her hands across the soft material and then glanced up at him, flushing under his warm gaze.

"What?" She asked, biting on her lip softly.

"Nothing." He whispered and then cleared his throat, shaking his head. "Nothing." Then he plopped himself down on his back and rolled over onto his side to face her.

She stretched herself out underneath the blankets and then turned to face him. She let out a little, contented sigh, her eyes fluttering closed as soon as her head hit the pillow. It was a combination of its softness and the faint scent of him washing over her senses that put her mind and body in a pure state of bliss.

When her eyes opened, her breath caught at how close together they were. Their noses were almost touching and if she wanted to she could count all the freckles that littered his cheeks but she was more focused on his eyes. His warm brown eyes staring back at her with such deep emotion; right on the surface there was amusement but beyond that there was so much more: affection, gratitude and that ever present sadness.

He was looking at her like she was the best thing in the universe and right now, with him, she felt like it.

Before she could even realize what she was doing, her hand once again found its way to his face and her knuckles softly brushed against his cheek. His eyes flickered down to her hand for a moment but he made no move to stop her, instead focusing his eyes back on hers.

It was then that she noticed something else in his eyes, something she had not seen very often. Exhaustion.

He told her he didn't need as much sleep as a human and she wasn't sure when the last time he slept was before tonight. He must have been tired to sleep at all and then to be woken up by that nightmare...

"You look tired." She whispered to him and she felt his jaw twitch under her touch and automatically there was a layer of pain in his eyes that had been hiding.

"I'm alright." He insisted quietly.

Her fingers slipped into his hair, brushing a few strands back that had fallen over his forehead and his eyelids fluttered before he forced them back open.

"You should sleep too."

He swallowed thickly. "Rose, I'm fine."

She frowned and whispered sadly, "No you're not." She ran her fingers through his hair a few more times and then dropped her hand, reaching to find his. When she found it, she tangled their fingers together and brought it up to rest between them, curling her body in further toward him. "It's okay." She whispered. "I know the last thing you want to do is go back into that memory."

Though he said nothing, his body tensing and his eyes fading back to fear was more than enough confirmation.

"But you look so tired," She continued softly, "You need to sleep." She gave his hand a gentle squeeze, bringing their hands to curl under her chin. "I've got you."

He stared back at her silently, clearly arguing with himself in his head, but soon enough his eyes started to blink sleepily.

'"Get some sleep, Doctor. I'm not going anywhere." She assured him. "Not now. Not ever."

He let out a little sigh, his lips twitching slightly. "What did I ever do?" He wondered quietly and her brow twitched in a silent question and he continued, "To deserve you?"

Her heart fluttered and she smiled warmly. "You didn't have to do anything...besides, I'm the lucky one."

He smiled slightly and then moved in closer so their foreheads touched and both their eyes closed at the sensation of the other's touch.

"You're too good for me." He whispered, his breath ghosting across her lips, sending a shiver down her spine.

They were as close as they could get with her beneath the covers and him above and she could feel him slowly start to relax against her.

She briefly wondered if he had meant to say for instead of to or if it was just his exhaustion talking.

She wouldn't ask him about it - Lord knows he skated around however he felt for her and he seemed to finally be relaxed enough to fall asleep and she didn't dare ruin that for him.

She brought their hands just a few centimeters higher and brushed her lips against the back of his hand. "Sleep well, my Doctor."

His eyes fluttered opened briefly and she knew he was still fighting it, still afraid to fall prey to the darkness of his own mind and she wished more than anything she could take it all from him.

She smiled at him, feeling her own exhaustion start to push at her but wanting to make sure he was going to sleep before she succumbed.

He blinked at her and then smiled in return and he let out one, long sigh before his eyes closed again and he gripped at her hand.

She squeezed his hand, her thumb brushing against the back of his hand, reassuring him that she was there.

Her eyes closed and she could slowly feel herself start to drift off but she fought it off for just a little while longer.

Then finally his hand relaxed within hers and she listened for his breathing, deep and even and she knew he had fallen asleep.

She popped one eye open a sliver just to take in this rare moment. Despite his earlier torments and fears, he now looked completely at ease and relaxed, and there was even a hint of a smile on his lips.

She smiled to herself, happy that he was finally able to get some peace and then closed her eyes, inched that much closer to him and drifted off.

That night both of them got the best nights sleep they had had in a very long time.


End file.
